Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Christmas, Not What We Expect, But Good

Yesterday Mr. I said that Christmas wasn't what he expected.

Well, when is it what a thirteen year old expects? Many thirteen year old kids are too old for toys, too picky, too self absorbed, and too young to understand the joy of giving and the true meaning of Christmas.

And it is especially difficult for a thirteen year old who has experienced so much disappointment in his life, especially in the past month, a thirteen year old who has a difficult time regulating his emotions, who has trouble with attaching to his adoptive family, and who has been exposed to drug an alcohol before he was born.

I don't know what he expected, but I know what I expected. And I'm glad I didn't get it, for the most part. I expected a pretty rocky Christmas. But even though there has been a bit of over-stimulation, dysregulation, and selfishness, things have really gone well. Oh, we've had our share of bumps, but our family has rolled with the punches. Some of the older siblings have shown more patience than I have!

Now for the good!

We had a lovely time with the family. The kids and grandson liked getting together. There wasn't the drama that happens in many families. My kids helped each other out and cared for each other. I can't tell you the joy I have because my kids love each other.

We exchanged small or handmade gifts. I love the pictures of my grandson, the Chariots of Fire movie, the butter dish that I wanted, and a cute succulent arrangement that one of my daughters-in-law made.

Oh, and how can I forget the old pictures of my dad and family sent from my sister and other old pictures scanned and put on a zip drive by one of my daughters?

There were other blessings too. One of our taillights burned out, and the police officer that stopped us didn't give me a fix-it-ticket because he had a priority call. We made it home safely in the dark and rain. One of my daughters stepped through a ceiling this evening, yet she didn't hurt herself. She stepped through a part of the ceiling that needed to be repaired anyway. It wasn't bad enough to bother to fix it before, yet it really should have been done. So now we have a good excuse to repair it. We've had other unexpected expenses, yet we've also had unexpected blessings.

This Christmas season, though not what I or my son expected, has really been good.

About Me

I am a woman who is trying her best to follow Jesus in the midst of being a wife, a mom of six, two by adoption through foster care, and grandma. I've called myself Mommy Linda since the two youngest came into our lives and found themselves with two mamas, one who brought them into the world, and one who has the terrifying, yet awesome responsibility of raising them. I used to homeschool the two youngest kiddos, but now that we moved, they are in school. Once I unpack all the boxes and work on the house, I'll have to figure out what I want to do when I grow up. I love to be creative and make things that last more than a few hours. I am married to an awesome man who is a super alpha geek, which I am most definitely not! Our lifestyle has changed from city life in California to living in a small island community in the Northwest. Life is an adventure, and writing helps me to put it all into perspective.